today in the third grade in cities like new york and chicago, kids are now being condemned to a life that will be very humbling and frustrating i know those kids will not be able to read, compete and they will not make it up some miraculous way in the 12th grade. having this twist of focusing on national security may lead this country to understand that if we do not get off the path we are on, we are on the path to a very different kind of america. i think the person who deserves enormous credit for driving this task force is secretary rice. [applause] >> let's talk about what it would take to close the gap between where we are and where we should be. one way to think about it is basic skills. one thing we have decided on the council of foreign relations is it is a an issue of content. when i taught at the kennedy school, i was stunned that the non american students knew a lot more about american civics in american foreign policy that american students. that was one thing that caught me up. the other was an experience where i spent time with young men pried away from stanford in comp